Paul George Contract: All-NBA Team Impacts Free Agency

Paul George missing out on the All-NBA team is bad news for Pacers fans in multiple ways. In addition to not having your best player represented, the Pacers now will not have the ability to offer George a five-year, $207 million contract.

With Paul George, Gordon Hayward left off All-NBA teams, Pacers and Jazz lose chance to re-sign them to 5-year, $207M super-max contracts.

Here’s why what was once just a nice honor for players will have a serious impact on free agency. In the new CBA there is a clause which is aimed to help teams keep their superstar players. The clause is technically called the Designated Player Veteran Exception but fans know it as the ability offer a current player a Super-Max contract.

Heat Hoops provides an overview of how a player becomes eligible for this type of deal. Part of the criteria includes being named to the All-NBA team.

He must meet one of the performance criteria. Included on the list: Making one of the three All NBA teams in either the previous season or the prior two, winning Defensive Player of the Year in either the previous season or the prior two, or winning MVP in one of the previous three seasons.

According to Spotrac, George signed a five-year, $91,572,660 deal. He is about to enter the fourth year of the contract where he will get paid $19,508,958. After the 2017-18 season, George has a player option to become a free agent.

The Pacers, like other NBA teams outside major markets, do not have some of the advantages teams in major markets can offer. If George had made the All-NBA team, Indiana would have had an opportunity to offer George a Super-Max deal which is a lot more than any other team can offer.

There were already rumblings George wants to be in Los Angeles. With the All-NBA news, those whispers are going to get even louder as the Pacers are faced with a decision. If behind closed doors George is set on leaving, the Pacers would be wise to try to get something in return for their star player instead of losing him without any compensation.

The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Lakers have a “great deal of belief” they can get George in 2018. This was reported before the news broke of the Pacers inability to offer George the contract worth more than $200 million.

While Magic Johnson can not specifically reference players, he has admitted the Lakers will be “major players” in the 2018 free agency.

ESPN reported the Pacers can offer George an extension this summer, but they missed out on a chance to sign George to a contract worth $75 million more than any other team.